Reports: Walgreens moving Pfizer vaccine doses to 21 days apart as recommended
Walgreens is reportedly moving the spacing of the two-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the recommended 21 days after it had been separating the doses by 28 days, which is how the Moderna vaccine is supposed to be administered.
The New York Times reported Monday that the doses were scheduled four weeks apart because Walgreens found that it made scheduling appointments simpler and easier. But as the Times and USA TODAY reported late Monday, the company says it will revert to the 21-day schedule between doses, with that change coming as soon as this week.
Official: Biden moving vaccine eligibility date to April 19
President Joe Biden was set to announce Tuesday that he is shaving about two weeks off his May 1 deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines.
With states gradually expanding eligibility beyond such priority groups as older people and essential, front-line workers, the president plans to announce that every adult in the U.S. will be eligible by April 19 to be vaccinated, a White House official said.
Study: Moderna vaccine lasts at least 6 months
New research suggests the protection the Moderna vaccine gives against COVID-19 lasts for at least six months.
The report Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine echoes what Pfizer said last week about its vaccine, which works in a similar way.
Both reports were based on follow-up tests in dozens of people who received the shots during studies that led to the vaccines’ use. Those studies were done before troubling new variants, or versions of the coronavirus, had emerged and started to spread.
30% of Washingtonians have at least one COVID-19 shot
How long will it take to get a large percentage of Washington's 7.5 million residents vaccinated for COVID-19?
As of April 3, 2021, the state has issued more than 3.7 million doses and has vaccinated more than 2.3 million people with at least one shot of vaccine. More than 1.47 million people have been fully vaccinated — 19.49% of the state's population.
How to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released an online portal to check your eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Wednesday, March 31, the state moved to Phase 1B, Tiers 3 and 4, which added the following qualifications for eligibility:
- Anyone age 16 and older with two or more diseases or medical conditions
- Anyone age 60 and older
- Anyone living or working in certain congregate settings (correctional facilities, group homes for those with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, etc.)
- Additional high-risk critical workers in congregate settings (restaurants, manufacturing, construction)
If you are eligible, find a list of vaccine providers on the state's Vaccinate WA page and information on how to make an appointment.